On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the UNC African Studies Center held its third annual Africa Fest full of food, dancing, music and poetry.
Organized in conjunction with Weaver Street Market and the Town of Carrboro, the event aimed to raise awareness about African culture through a variety of artistic performances encouraging community engagement.
“I feel very strongly that for people who haven't studied Africa — which is probably most people — not only do you not have enough information about Africa, but you might have misconceptions about Africa and African people,” said Victoria Rovine, the director of the center and a professor of African art history.
Though hosted by the African Studies Center, Ada Umenwaliri, associate director of the center, said the organizers of Africa Fest wanted to reach out to outside organizations to collaborate for the event. Making use of the Carrboro Lawn in front of Weaver Street Market, various local businesses such as Queen’s Jollof Sauce and King’s Pepper served free samples featuring their products, some of which are for sale at the market.
“Africa Fest is a great way to bring African arts and food and culture to life for people right here in the Triangle,” Rovine said.
One major focus of the event was music and groups like Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, who shared songs from Senegalese culture among other performances.
“I love Kaira Ba, who wrapped up the festival for us," Rovine said. "We’ve had them every year, and they’re a local collaboration between Senegalese and American musicians."
In addition to the outside groups, one new feature of the fest this year was a masquerade dance featuring performers from Sierra Leone.
“The masquerader is in a beautiful costume and they’re dancing to traditional music," Umenwaliri said. "It’s usually a very electrifying experience."
